Portable bed.



No. 653,404. 1 Patented July l0. I900. J. SEITTERS &. B. B. MCDONALD.

PORTABLE BED.

(Applicafiqz filed Dec. 4, 1899.)

(No Modal.)

m: nonms pzrzns 00.. Pnu'rouma. wnsmncsmu. n, a.

UNITE STATES PATEN'I FFICE.

PORTABLE BED;

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 653,404, dated July 10, 1900.

Application filed December 4, 1899. Serial No. 739,146. (No model.) i 2 To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, J ACOB Snrrrnns and ROBERT B. MCDONALD, citizens of the United States, residing at McMinnville, in the county of Yamhill and State of Oregon, have invented new and useful Improvements in Portable Beds, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to portable beds, such as are designed more particularly for use in camps; and it consists in the peculiar and advantageous construction hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claim appended.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating our improved bed in its operative position. Fig. 2 is a 1ongitudinal central section of the same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse section taken on theline 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail section taken in the plane indicated by line 4: 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a perspectivaview of a portion of one of the posts of the bed. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the end portion of one of the side rails.

Referring by letter to the said drawings, A is the footboard, and B the headboard, of our improved bed, the same being provided at their ends 'with posts a, in which shallow sockets b are formed, as best shown in Figs. 2 and 5.

C O are the side rails of the bed, which are provided with reduced ends '0, adapted to rest in the sockets b of the posts a, and D D are rods through the medium of which the rails O are connected to the head and foot boards and the bed is braced. These bracerods are loosely connected at one end to the side rails and are provided at their opposite ends with hooks cl, designed to engage eyes (2, arranged on theposts a at about the distance illustrated below the sockets d therein.

E is a bar which is interposed between and connected to the posts a of the footboard A and is arranged in a plane slightly above the sockets b in 'said posts.

F is a roller which is interposed between the posts a of the headboard B and has trunnions fjournaled in said" posts in a plane slightly above the sockets b, and Gis the bedbottom, of heavy canvas or other suitable material, whichis connected to the bar E and is connected to and designed to be wound upon the roller F. One of the trunnionsf of the roller F is extended beyond'the post a, in

which it is journaled and is provided with a square end 9 and a ratchet h, the former bethe sockets bin the posts of the head and foot boards, and the rods D are engaged with the eyes e. A wrench is then applied to the square end 9 of the roller F, and said roller is turned toward the right until the canvas bottom G is suffieiently taut. When the canvas bottom G is thus drawn taut, it willdraw the upper portions of the postsa inwardly toward the transverse center of the bed, and the said posts being fulcrumed on the ends of the side rails C it follows thattheir lower portions will be thrown outwardly or away from the transverse center of the bed, and drawing on the rods D will render the bed extremely stiff and rigid.

The gravitating pawl 'L'eifectually prevents casual retrograde movement'of the'roller F and yet permits of said roller being turned toward the right whenever it is desired to tighten the connection between the parts of the bed and render the same more stilt and rigid.

When it is desired to take the bed apart, it is simply necessary to disengage the pawli from the ratchet h and loosen the bottom G and then remove the hooks of the rodsD from the eyes e and the ends of the side rails C from the sockets b. With this done the footboard, headboard, and side rails may be laid together.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing that while our improved bed is very simple and light and is susceptible of being readily put together and taken apart it is extremely rigid and strong whenthe parts are properly assembled and the connection between the same is tightened. It will also be appreciated that when the bed is taken apart it takes up but little space and may be conveniently transported from place to place.

We are well aware that a portable bed comprising side rails, head and foot boards fulcrumed on the ends of the side rails, braces connecting the side rails and the lower portions of the head and foot boards, and a bedbottom passed over the upper edges of the head and foot boards and connected by straps G to said board at intermediate points in the length thereof is old. We therefore makeno claim to such construction; but

What we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The herein-described portable and knockdown bed comprising the headboard having the cross-bar E, and also having the shallow sockets b in the inner sides of its posts below the bar E, and the keepers e below'the sockets, the footboard having the shallow sockets b in the inner sides of its posts at an intermediate point of its height, and also having the keepers 6 below said sockets, the side railshaving reduced ends 0 arranged in the socketsb of the head and foot boards whereby said I boards are enabled to rock on the-side rails, the brace-rods loosely connected to the side rails and having hooks adapted to engage the keepers on the head and foot boards, the roller journaled in the footboard above the sockets therein and provided with a ratchet andv an angular portion for the engagement of a wrench, a pawl connected to the footboard and arranged to engage the ratchet, and a flexible bed-bottom disposed above the side rails and connected to the bar E and the roller and adapted to be wound. upon the latter, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JACOB SEITTERS. ROBERT D. DICDONALD'. \Vitnesses:

FRANK W. FENToN, W. M. RAMSEY. 

